Odfjell nr 3 - 2006.indd

By Toralf Sørenes
HSE Issues and Transparency
In this world of collaboration and transparency,
our customers expect that we,
as one of their strategic service providers,
communicate not only commercial
but also HSE issues of significance. With
today’s control systems, almost every
negative outcome of what we do will
come to light sooner or later. It is therefore
very important to be proactive and
notify relevant stakeholders of any problems
as early as possible. A brief note is
better than nothing. Early reporting has
two advantages. Advice and guidance
can be obtained at an early time when
it can still be useful. Further, it will
reduce and could
even take away the
negative perception
of us trying to hide
things. Although
potential sanctions
could act as a hindrance
for openness,
it is important to recognize
that if sanctions
are relevant,
they will normally
come. Port state and
similar databases are
monitored continuously,
and if we wait
with notifications
and reports until it
has become known
through other sources,
sanctions will
come and be stronger.
With a large fleet of nearly 100 ships
such as Odfjell’s, the probability of having
an incident that reaches the media
is higher than if you own and manage
a small fleet. The Law of Large Numbers
implies that the bigger you get,
the more important it will be to work
proactively and systematically with risk
reduction and loss preventive measures.
Let us for instance consider port state
detention. This is a very serious matter
that must be sorted out before the ship
is given clearance to sail from a port.
But this is not the end of it; underlying
issues and customer concerns may take
a long time of hard and dedicated work
to sort out.
One issue that has been in focus for
some time is inerting of all flammable
cargoes. With the Bow Mariner and NCC
Mekka still clear in mind, Odfjell has
been active in this work and has strongly
supported a change towards more robust,
comprehensive and clearer regulations
in this important area. While we
are waiting for these new regulations to
come, we must maintain a strong focus
on inerting. It is a very high risk area involving
two main elements: the equipment
itself and the proper use of it.
1 - The system with its various equipment
and controls must be well maintained
and operable at all times.
Personal Protective Equipment – USE IT!!
2 - Those responsible must be fully familiar
with the systems, equipment, its limitations,
operation and the underlying
requirements. Guidance and procedures
must be clear and implementation done
not only through written exchanges
but also through training and on board
attendance from the fleet units ashore.
In addition to oily water systems and
pollution, inerting has high focus within
port state administrations in the trades
Odfjell operates. In particular the US
Coast Guard seems to have their focus
on this. This is perhaps particularly relevant
for our older
ships. We may not
be using these systems
as frequently
as product carriers
do, and therefore
testing and regular
training is essential.
It is also important
to be well prepared
for port state inspections,
with the fleet
units discussing all
relevant issues in
that respect. All our
ships must report unsafe
conditions and
defective equipment,
and appropriate risk
assessments must be
carried out on operations
that deviate
from normal routine.
It is also essential that corrective and/or
preventive actions that have been identified
by the shipboard management
teams during the risk assessment are
timely and properly attended to, not
only by themselves but also by the fleet
units ashore.
Safety Bulletin
We always focus on the use of appropriate
personal protective equipment
(PPE), during internal audits and ship
visits, and as part of reviewing near
misses and high risk incidents. Regrettably
we still come across events or situations
where PPE should have been used
but was not. We will again highlight the
importance of strict adherence in this
area whether it is working aloft, entry
into enclosed spaces, cargo lines and
systems on deck, etc. Both the general
and individual PPE like non skid shoes,
helmets and boiler suits, and more task
specific PPE like harnesses and personal
gas detectors are important. If we shall
progress towards our zero accident
goal, we must have high focus on critical
success factors among which the use
of PPE is essential. USE IT!!
ODFJELL Quarterly September 2006 23